


A Long Week

by tatooedlaura



Series: Life [15]
Category: The X-Files
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-26
Updated: 2016-11-26
Packaged: 2018-09-02 08:39:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8660194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tatooedlaura/pseuds/tatooedlaura
Summary: “Hey, it’s me.” The din of the students exiting had him wondering immediately, “where are you? Some weird Monday night frat party?” 
She chuckled as she gathered her things, “no. Skinner’s got me filling in at the academy for somebody who went out with appendicitis.”





	

Mulder occupied her dreams that night and kept popping into her thoughts at the most random of times as she brushed her teeth, drove into work, cursed out the idiot who cut her off in traffic. The kiss he’d given her appearing even more. She hadn’t asked him about it and he hadn’t offered, deciding it was probably best discussed when they saw each other again or not at all, given their track records of ‘why the hell would we talk about that?’.

Her mind settled down as soon as she walked into Skinner’s office, however, the man forgoing a ‘hello’ for, “the pathology guy at the Academy just had an appendectomy and they called to see if you were available to fill in for the week, starting this afternoon?”

Hesitating for a moment, she held up the pile of papers in her arms, “we need to get through this first.”

“It’s either you or Barrington.”

He got the reaction he wanted by dropping the name, watching her wrinkle her nose in dislike, “Barrington? Might as well give the students crayons and tell them to color Bert and Ernie for a week.” Dropping the stack with an ‘oomph’ on the empty conference table, “what time do I have to be there and how many classes?”

The morning was spent deciphering Mulder’s chicken scratch notes and organizing scattered ideas into a cohesive report that Skinner could pass along when necessary and Scully could back up with science if and when she was drilled about its contents. The headache both had by the time they were done was evident by the bottle of Tylenol Skinner shook in her direction, “need one?”

“One is an understatement. I need at least three and a beer to chase it with.”

He gave her a weary smile, “no drinking in class.”

Waving a water bottle at him, “sure, then believe me when I tell you this is water.”

“You got that from the fridge in here.”

“Kimberly and I have come to an understanding about the ‘special’ water in there.”

Skinner just shook his head, “she and I have, too. Only take the ones with the green lids.”

Scully laughed, “I’m gonna head out, if we’re done here? I need to go get caught up before class.” 

Her boss nodded, “tell Mulder I hope his mother feels better soon and not to worry about getting back. I’ll hold whatever cases I can until he returns.”

“Thanks.”

&&&&&&&&&&&&

Teaching was like riding a bike, to use a sad and clichéd cliché, but it was. She got up there, did her thing, answered questions, corrected wrongs, interjected past cases when appropriate and kicked the class out early when her phone rang.

It was like she never left, “Scully?”

“Hey, it’s me.” The din of the students exiting had him wondering immediately, “where are you? Some weird Monday night frat party?”

She chuckled as she gathered her things, “no. Skinner’s got me filling in at the academy for somebody who went out with appendicitis.”

“Slash and dash?”

“One of them. The other is basic anatomy and physiology, which is just getting out now.”

“Why’d you get stuck with them?”

Joining the line of students heading out the door, “it was me or Barrington.”

Two states away, Mulder wrinkled his nose in a mirror image of Scully’s earlier, “might as well just send them home for the week.”

“That’s what I said, well, I mentioned coloring Bert and Ernie but the same principle applies.”

They talked while Scully walked to her car and on her drive home, Mulder filling her in on his mom and Scully detailing him about her morning with Skinner and her afternoon with the students. Sooner than later, she was in her kitchen, heating up a late dinner and hating to do it but telling him goodnight, “I need to read through tomorrow’s lectures and see what kind of cases apply.”

He had absolutely no desire to sever his connection to her, “I have an idea.”

Stirring the leftovers from Sunday night with her fork, “is it a good idea?”

“Of course. I think that we should hang up, finish dinner then you call me back and we hash out your lesson plan together. I’m bound to be full of really good examples of weird crap that those kids’ll eat up.”

She didn’t really need to think about it, “I’ll call you back in about a half-hour, alright?”

“Deal.”

&&&&&&&&&&

Tuesday morning was spent in the basement, digging up cases and evidence for class and the afternoon was spent entertainingly teaching the wide-eyed future of the FBI. Scully thoroughly enjoyed how curious about Mulder’s case examples the trainees were and she smilingly accepted compliments as the students filed past her at the end of the session, asking if they would be able to meet Agent Mulder in the next few days.

She optimistically told them it might happen but to not hold their breath, which they understood, Scully having mentioned his mother in the first few minutes of the first class.

“They loved you, Mulder. They are clamoring to meet you and will probably ask for photos and your autograph.” He wasn’t as enthusiastic as she expected and she switched gears, “everything okay? Did something change?”

“She woke up but she’s having a real hard time. She can’t remember anything from the last few days and when she first woke up … she … she didn’t even remember me.”

Scully has such a strong urge to touch him it physically hurt to know she couldn’t, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. She remembered after a few minutes.”

Voice now in a whisper, “I wish I could give you a hug right now.”

Equally as quiet, “I wish you could, too.”

&&&&&&&&&&&

Wednesday passed in much the same way, Scully having to clarify some items from their last case in the morning. Her afternoon classes were good, Mulder’s casework making several appearances once again, this time with concrete examples, including filled specimen jars, Tombs’ xrays and the broken tail of Eddie VanBlundht, Sr.

When Mulder called later that evening, he told her his mother’s surgery had gone well, her heart was back in working order but the doctor was keeping her in the hospital a few more days, given her age and her previous conditions. Laying back against his piled pillows, “so what do you think I do after this?”

Scully, curled on her side in bed, phone wedged under her ear, “what do you mean?”

“Do I move her closer to me? Do I let her go home and then check in with her more often? Does she move in with my aunt, which has apparently been suggested several times but my stubborn mother has refused to do?”

As much as she knew Mulder loved his mother, she was very surprised they hadn’t killed each other yet, their personalities and pasts diverging years ago with almost no chance of a full recovery, “you’re gone so much, Mulder. Having her close to you doesn’t seem any more of a solution then letting her live alone three hours away. The aunt might be the best thing, although I imagine she can’t be that young either. Would she be able to take care of your mom?”

“Apparently, I’ve never told you that my aunt is almost 15 years younger than my mom. She’s not much older than I am, maybe 10 years at most and her and my mom get along fairly well, actually.”

“I thought you mentioned knickknacks and dried flowers and funeral parlor wallpaper?”

“I did. She may be younger but she still decorates old.”

Scully had to smile at that, “Well, then, I think maybe that’s the way you start steering your mom. I mean, it’s her choice but maybe the two of you can convince her.”  
Mulder yawned, his long day of mostly sedimentary-ness making him exhausted, “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay? I’m about to fall asleep and you don’t need to be listening to me snoring in your ear.”

“I don’t mind it at all but the phone bill would probably be astronomical by the morning.”

“G’night, Scully.”

“G’night.”

&&&&&&&&&&

On Thursday, Scully made it to her mother’s house just in time for the second round of Shepherd’s Pie, having rushed her students by being honest, telling them that a homemade meal awaited her exactly 26 minutes from the parking lot. Given that all of them would have killed for a homecooked meal at that point in their education, they thanked her for her teaching and told her to drive safely and if possible, bring them some leftovers.

Maggie met her at the front door with a steaming plateful of food so aromatic Scully wondered if it was possible to bottle the smell and wear it as a perfume. She stopped mid-walk to the kitchen when she had the very sudden and very vivid image of Mulder licking first behind her ear, then smacking his lips at the flavor of her. She had to do a little hop, skip, slide in order to catch back up with Maggie, wanting to avoid having to stammer an answer as to why she suddenly went very red in the face and very unfocused in the eyes. Taking the plate her mother had been leading with, she breathed the scents in deeply a second time, “I love you so very much right now.”

“Are you talking to me or the plate, dear?”

“Um, you … mostly.”

“Then you’ll love me more when I get the strawberry shortcake out.”

“I am so hungry, you have no idea.”

She refrained from too much drinking, knowing she needed to drive home later but did indulge in a small glass of wine, which she sipped as the evening progressed. She had hoped the night would provide a distraction but her thoughts kept drifting elsewhere, causing one losing hand after another, until finally she lay down her final play and stood up, “I think I’m gonna go out back for a little while.”

No one questioned her, simply nodding and telling her to come back, they would deal her in whenever she was ready. Giving smiles around the table, Scully headed outside, choosing the hammock over the chairs to recline on.

The moon was a simple sliver just below the edge of the trees, not providing enough light to block out the stars above her. Swinging gently back and forth, she let her mind slow down, allowing the noise of work dissolve, leaving a comfortable void to be filled by unbidden yet not unwelcome thoughts of her partner.

She wanted him to come home.

She wanted to go to him.

She wanted them to somehow meet in the middle and ignore the rest of the world.

She wanted to tell him how much she missed him constantly underfoot, making bad jokes, filling her life with nonsensical amusement and irrational happiness, neither of which, until the last four days, did she realize she adored so very much. Her phone was out and dialing his before she could think about it but to her great disappointment, it went straight to voicemail.

“Hey, it’s just me. Thought I’d call and see how things were going. Any idea when you might be back? Your fish wrote ‘we miss Mulder’ in the algae growing on their tank. Anyways, hope everything’s all right and you’re getting some sleep or eating dinner with your mom or something. Talk to you later.”

&&&&&&&&&&&&

Mulder parked down the street, in front of Betty’s house, so not to give away his sudden and what would be a very surprising appearance to the ladies in the house. He could see some of them through the front door once he made it up the walkway but then didn’t notice him. Knocking, he watched Maggie turn and head his way in confusion before her face lit up in a smile of recognition. Tugging the door open, she pulled him into a hug, “Fox?! What are you doing here? Dana said you were still with your mother.”

“I was but I decided I needed to come home for a day or two, check out my fish, make sure my apartment’s still standing, hang out with my Thursday night ladies.”

Hugging him again, she shut the door and led him into the kitchen, where he was greeted with smiles and quiet helloes, inquiries and finally knowing looks as they older women all saw his gaze sweep over them, looking for one red-head in particular.

Maggie patted him on the arm, pointing outside, “she went out on the deck about an hour ago and fell asleep in the hammock.”

Not wanting to appear too eager to see her, he stopped himself from rushing out the door, “how are things here?”

Maggie turned him by the shoulders, “would you just go outside?”

With an embarrassed smile, he headed out the door, closing it behind him.

“Maggie?”

“Yes?”

Janet looked at her but spoke for the crowd, “if they don’t get it together very soon, we’re going to lock them in a room and throw away the key.”

&&&&&&&&&&

Scully had no idea why but her dream went from cold, shivery images of snow and driving wind to her in a cozy house, fire in the fireplace and Mulder curled up beside her on the couch, keeping her warm. Snuggling in deeper to her dream Mulder, she had no idea the real one was pressed just as tightly around her.


End file.
